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2023 Guilford Dialogues Conference

Educational Opportunity and Inclusion

March 16-17, 2023 ∙ Guilford College ∙ Greensboro, N.C.

Registration is now open at this link.

Read more about this year's event and featured speakers.


Meet the 2023 Speakers

Photo of Betty Paugh Ortiz wearing a black jacket, white shirt, and pearl necklace.

Betty Paugh Ortiz

Vice President of Programs at the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP).

Photo of Priscilla Monico Marín wearing a brown jacket over an orange shirt decorated with white flowers.

Priscilla Monico Marín

Hyein Lee in a blue jacket and grey shirt

Hyein Lee

Director of Programs and Evaluation at TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented students.

Ann Flynt in a pink top in front of a black background

Ann Flynt

Ann Flynt currently serves as the Director of the Eastern Triad Workforce Initiative (ETWI) and Guilford Apprenticeship Partners (GAP) at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (CFGG).

Steve Bumbaugh in a blue shirt in front of a black background

Steve Bumbaugh

Steve Bumbaugh leads College Board’s partnerships and outreach to underrepresented communities.

John Jenkins in a navy suit on a black background

John Jenkins

John Jenkins, a physician who is board certified in internal medicine, has held multiple senior-level roles in the Cone Health system.

Deena Hayes-Greene in a yellow jacket

Deena Hayes-Greene '04

Deena Hayes-Greene '04 is the Co-Founder and Director of the Racial Equity Institute (REI), an alliance of trainers, organizers, and institutional leaders who work to create racial equity within society.

Anne Marie McGranaghan on a black background

Anne-Marie McGranaghan

Anne-Marie McGranaghan is a Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Officer and has been working in UNHCR’s Regional Office in Washington since 2003 bringing nearly 25 years of refugee resettlement experience.

Lisa Leeke in a pink blouse on black background

Lisa Leeke

Lisa currently serves as the Director of First-Year Abroad Partnerships at CIEE.

Laura Wagner in a pink blouse

Laura Wagner

Laura Wagner is the Director of Refugee Student Initiatives. Most recently, Laura was the Senior Program Officer for Integration at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

Winston McGregor in a black blazer

 Winston McGregor

A community leader with a focus on non-profits and public private partnerships, Winston McGregor joined the Guilford Education Alliance in 2013 as executive director and was named president in 2020.

Marie Jeanne Ndimbira-Rosner in a bright scarf

 Marie-Jeanne Ndimbira-Rosner

Marie-Jeanne Ndimbira-Rosner is a PhD candidate in the Global Urban Studies Program at Rutgers-Newark. Marie-Jeanne is from Windhoek, Namibia. Prior to her doctoral studies she co-founded the Physically Active Youth Programme (PAY), a holistic afterschool program in Windhoek.

Michelle Schneider in a burgundy blazer

Michelle Schneider

In her role as VP & Chief Philanthropy Officer of Cone Health, Michelle Schneider puts her decades of fundraising leadership to work for a mission that matters greatly to her: helping to tangibly improve the lives and well-being of our community members.

Sally Nuamah in a tan coat

Sally Nuamah

Sally A. Nuamah is an award-winning scholar, advocate, founder and filmmaker who explores issues at the intersection of race, gender, public policy, and political behavior.

Tim Raphael in a green jacket

Tim Raphael

Tim Raphael is Professor of Arts, Culture, and Media at Rutgers University-Newark. He is the founding Director of the Center for Migration and the Global City.

Laura Colson in a black leather jacket

Laura Colson

vice president for Academic Affairs and Student Experience at Bennett College.  As the chief academic officer, Dr. Colson provides academic vision and strategic planning that foster active, engaged, and distinctive learning experiences for women of color who aspire to leadership in their fields, social justice, civil rights, and social mobility. 

Christian Walter in a blue suit

Christian Walter

Christian Walter was recently appointed interim principal at Doris Henderson Newcomers School in Greensboro. He will become the principal at Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School in High Point when that school opens in August 2023.

Whitney Oakley in a pink blazer

Whitney Oakley

Dr. Whitney Oakley is the superintendent of Guilford County Schools (GCS), serving more than 68,000 PK-12 students and 10,000 employees at 126 schools. Oakley is a long-time educator and administrator passionate about helping all students thrive.

Dr. Cheryl Miller Dyce in a pink floral blouse

Cherryl Miller-Dyce

Cherrel Miller Dyce is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University.

Jerell Blakeley in a dark suit and red tie

Jerell Blakeley

A native of Trenton, NJ, Jerell Blakeley is an alumnus of Howard University, where he earned a degree in History with a minor in Political Science. Presently, he is the inaugural Director of Government, Community, and Racial and Social Justice for Indiana's largest union, the Indiana State Teachers Association, and serves as a Lecturer at Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. 

Sharon Contreras in black with pearls

Sharon Contreras

Dr. Sharon L. Contreras, CEO of The Innovation Project in North Carolina, is passionate about providing a high-quality education to each child. She is a teacher at heart, a transformational leader and a passionate advocate for children and education.

Jessie Wetherby in a striped top

Jessie Wetherby

Jessie Wetherby is a graduate student in the International Education Program at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development as well a High School ELL (English Language Learner) teacher for newcomer students in Washington, DC where she teaches English and Biology.

Samuel Oladipo in a grey suit

Samuel Oladipo

Samuel Oladipo currently serves as the SEL district advisor at CASEL. In this role, he uses his experience of integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) and equity to support districts with district wide systemic SEL implementation, Transformative SEL, building equitable learning environments, and provides technical assistance to CASEL partners engaging in the work.

Valerie Holton in a blue blazer

Valerie Holton

Valerie Holton serves as CUMU’s executive director. She brings over 25 years of experience in and across universities and non-profit organizations, as a faculty member, administrator, Fulbright Senior Scholar, practitioner, and consultant.

Aimy Steele in black with white necklace

Aimy Steele

CEO of The New North Carolina Project and the New North Carolina Project Foundation. NNCP is an organization geared towards expanding voter engagement and access in North Carolina. Aimy started this coordinated state-wide field program in 2021 to ensure that North Carolina’s voting body is representative of its diverse population.

Jacqui Hatch in a black blazer over a navy top

Jacqui Hatch

Jacqui is in her first year at George Washington University acquiring a Master’s degree in International Education, with a focus in higher education and program exchange for marginalized groups. She currently serves as a Co-Lab Leader for GWU’s Refugee Education Advancement Lab (REAL) and Partnership Manager of the GWU International Education Association.

Mame Annan-Brown

Mame Annan-Brown

Mame Annon-Brown is Executive Vice President, Global Communications, Public Affairs, & ESG and President, Kontoor Brands Foundation.

Sedwyn Anthony in a grey suit

Sedwyn Anthony

Sedwyn Anthony is currently a Manager within the Department of Research and Innovation at the University of Pretoria in South Africa responsible for International and Strategic Partnerships.

Mark Dixon in a blue cap

Mark Dixon

Mark Dixon is an associate professor at Guilford College.  He is co-chair of the Art Department, chair of the Experience Design Department and co-chair of the Inclusion and Transformation Task Force. 

Hourie Tafech in a pink blouse and grey head scarf

Hourie Tafech

Hourie Tafech is a third-generation Palestinian refugee from Lebanon. She earned her Ph.D. in global affairs from Rutgers University, New Jersey. Her research focuses on refugee economic integration and entrepreneurial activities.

Dr. Anthony Graham in a blue suit

Anthony Graham

Anthony Graham is currently the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Winston-Salem State University. Effective July 1, 2023, Dr. Graham will assume the position of interim Chancellor at Winston-Salem State University.

Lady Jimenez-Torres in a grey jacket

Lady Jimenez Torres

Lady Jimenez Torres is the Policy Director at the Consortium, where she brings a wealth of knowledge in state policy and advocacy. She joined the organization in 2022 and has since expanded its work in creating equal access for all immigrant youth in education, healthcare, and justice across New Jersey.

Maria Rosales in a floral top

Maria Rosales

Born and raised in California, Maria Rosales went to California State University, Stanislaus, for her BA.  After receiving her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, Maria moved across the country in 2005 to teach Political Science at Guilford College.   She received tenure in 2013 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2019.

Jusmar Maness is a blue blazer

Jusmar Maness

Jusmar Maness serves as the Chief Academic Officer for Guilford County Schools. She is a bilingual and bicultural leader committed to improving learning and life outcomes for all children. She has served as deputy chief of schools since August 2021 and previously served as a principal supervisor.

Scott Muir in sepia

Scott Muir

As Director of Undergraduate Initiatives, Scott leads NHA’s efforts to forward innovation in undergraduate humanities education and attract a broader range of students to the humanities.

Jonathan Brooks in a dark suit

Jonathan Brooks

Dr. Jonathan Brooks has been the principal of Bessemer Elementary School since July 1, 2022. Brooks is the former principal at Eastway Elementary School in Durham and East Albemarle Elementary in Stanly County.

Jeffrey Carlson in black and white

Jeffrey Carlson

Since 2007, Jeffrey has served as executive director of The Choral Arts Collective (formerly Bel Canto Company), a non-profit whose vision is of a community that celebrates excellence, diversity, and lifelong participation in choral music.

Corrie Lisk-Hurst in a turquoise sweater

Corrie Lisk-Hurst

Corrie has been with the Center for Visual Artists since 2018, and it’s a privilege to be able to work with all ages of artists - from the very youngest to the most experienced. She is the CVA’s Director, or as they sometimes tell our after-school students, the “principal” at CVA.

Guilford Dialogues 2022 [VIDEO]

Guilford Dialogues 2022 [VIDEO]

Learn more about the inaugural 2022 Guilford Dialogues conference — directly from this year's attendees. Find out what they learned, what they enjoyed, and how…

The Guilford Dialogues invites leaders from a cross-section of fields, generations, viewpoints, and regions to Guilford College to consider relevant social problems and strategize on values-based solutions.

The next event will be held March 16-17, 2023. Check out the full schedule. It will explore educational opportunity and inclusion and will draw upon individuals from different areas of the educational spectrum (pre-K, K-12, and higher education) to explore strategies for ensuring equitable education opportunities. The project builds upon the 2022 Guilford Dialogues, which focused on the theme of economic inclusion.

Registration is now open at this link.

This year's panels include:

  • Comparative Perspectives on Creating Equitable Educational Opportunities: There are several strategies/practices for creating equitable educational opportunities in different communities. These strategies involved a broad spectrum of actors across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. This panel will introduce what it means to create equitable educational opportunities and why it is important. It will bring together speakers from national and international backgrounds to talk about their influential work in this field. The panelists will highlight the best practices and lessons for creating equitable educational opportunities based on their projects and experiences. 
  • Models of Partnership — How Can Educational Institutions Partner to Create Opportunities for Students? It is crucial for institutions, whether in k-12 or tertiary education, to partner with actors across different sectors, such as corporations and nonprofits, to create effective educational opportunities for their students. Such partnerships allow institutions to develop innovative possibilities for their students and help them reduce racial achievement gaps. This panel will bring speakers from private, public, and nonprofit sectors who lead different partnership models with educational institutions. The purpose of this panel is to learn from our panelists about their partnership models, what challenges they face and how they overcome them. 
  • Immigration and Education — Strategies for Supporting Refugee and Undocumented Students: Undocumented and refugee students face challenges that hinder their educational opportunities and achievements. Creating education opportunities for refugee and undocumented students is essential to help build a win-win situation for both students and their communities. First, this panel aims to shed light on the particularity of undocumented and refugee students' education. Second, to introduce some practical strategies that support undocumented and refugees to overcome these barriers.
  • Using Media to Share Student Stories — Brief Screenings by Newest Americans and Discussion with Tim Raphael: In the current polarized environment, academic research and fact-based knowledge are often ignored or distorted in rancorous debates. This panel will explore how educational institutions can improve their capacity to amplify their students' voices by sharing their stories. The panelists will explain how educational institutions can partner with storytellers in multiple media (film, photography, journalism, podcasting, etc.) to amplify their research through multimedia storytelling and become effective advocates for a more informed and humane approach to (im)migrants and refugees.

Sponsorship opportunities are being considered now. For more information on how to get involved, contact Ashley Raper, Special Assistant to the President, at 336.316.2055 or ahraper@guilford.edu.

About Guilford College: A private, historic liberal-arts institution founded in 1837, Guilford sits on a charming 300-acre wooded campus in suburban Greensboro, N.C. Its roughly 1,200 students benefit from a 12:1 student-faculty ratio. Following its Quaker roots, Guilford prepares students to become ethical leaders who are ready to contribute to their communities and succeed at work, graduate, or professional school. 

More about the 2022 event:



Guilford Dialogues FAQ

Registration and Fees

Registration is now open at this link. Fee includes meals and conference materials.

Lodging

Parking

Parking is available throughout campus, and you do not need a permit. For more information, please refer to this campus parking map.

Contact

For more information on how to get involved, contact Ashley Raper, Special Assistant to the President, at 336.316.2055 or ahraper@guilford.edu.